INTJ Personality Type & Traits

By Dr. A.J. Drenth

The INTJ personality type’s signature strength is deep perception. Otherwise known as “the mastermind,” the INTJ is naturally attuned to “the big picture” and cannot help but see how everything is interconnected. Their ability to perceive deep patterns and causal relationships has helped many achieve eminence in science, mathematics, medicine, or other INTJ careers.

Although INTJs are classified as Thinking types, their dominant function is Intuition, or more specifically, Introverted Intuition (Ni). In seeing the world through Ni lenses, their typical mode of operation is well described as impressionistic. Rather than noticing or concerning themselves with the details of the world around them, their existence is more cerebral or dreamlike. This can lead them to feel estranged from their physical environs, not to mention their own bodies.

While INTJs may be relatively unaware of how others perceive them, their “other-worldliness” often earns them labels such as quirky, awkward, nerdy, or oblivious. Onlookers sense that INTJs seem to “live in their own world.” Immersed in their own minds and interests, INTJs can be oblivious to social norms or other practical aspects of life. While incredibly “book smart,” they may fall short when it comes to social or “street smarts.”

At some point in their lives, INTJs start to notice how characteristically different their personality traits are from those of their peers. They may even joke about the nerdy or esoteric nature of their interests. Fortunately, they usually find a few friends with overlapping interests, even if those friendships are largely maintained through what others might consider non-social activities, such as playing video games over the internet.

Further complicating INTJs’ social life is their use of Extraverted Thinking (Te). The majority of males, at least in the United States, are TP types, all of who use Extraverted Feeling (Fe) rather than Te. This gives TPs (including the INTP) a leg up when it comes to casually connecting with others in social situations. TPs often enjoy social situations (at least for a stint), which grant them opportunities to showcase or sharpen their social chops. By contrast, INTJs, along with other Te types, often loathe unfamiliar social situations. They find it painfully difficult to “rub elbows” or engage in any measure of “small talk” with strangers. This further intensifies their sense of being “different” from their peers.

INTJ Personality Traits

INTJs are characterized by a curious admixture of personality traits which includes their reputation for being “walking encyclopedias.” They are sponges for all sorts of information, be it historical, scientific, technical, or otherwise. I’ve met many INTJs who seem to have “photographic memories,” able to recall nearly anything they’ve been exposed to. One of my INTJ friends, for instance, can readily recite lines from movies he’s only watched once.

In recognizing their powers of insight (Ni), not to mention their vast stores of factual knowledge (Te), INTJs are naturally inclined to share what they know with others. In addition to activities such as gaming, dispensing ideas or information is one of the easiest ways for INTJs to engage with others. They enjoy opportunities to utilize their typological strengths and enlighten others. Unfortunately, this can sometimes result in INTJs being misconstrued as arrogant “know-it-alls.”

Despite their introverted status, INTJs can be surprisingly talkative. Like the INFJ, they can talk at great length (and depth) on topics that interest them. This is one reason INTJs often enjoy the role of lecturer or professor. And while they are rarely the most dynamic or energetic of orators, INTJs are typically decent story-tellers and good for occasional injections of droll humor or cultural references. This can help humanize them in the eyes of their audience, even if their overall delivery remains a bit dry or mechanical.

Because INTJs extravert their Thinking judgments (i.e., Te), others commonly (and often wrongly) assume them to be characteristically serious individuals. This misses the fact that they are dominant Perceivers (i.e., their dominant Ni function is a Perceiving function), which makes them far more inwardly easygoing, even playful, than most people realize. I’ve known some INTJs who begin every day with comedy, such as catching up on the latest “9gag” website postings. This is one reason type theory is so important: it keys us into inner (I) – outer (E) type differences that might otherwise be overlooked.

Another consequence of INTJs’ Perceiving dominance is their tendency to be passive or phlegmatic. More proactive types, such as ENTJs, might even consider them a bit lazy or apathetic. But calling INTJs lazy is to miss the point of what it means to be a Perceiver. Namely, since INTJs’ first and foremost job is to Perceive rather than Judge or act, functioning in a passive mode of perception is actually their most authentic mode of operating. Indeed, the reason that INTJs’ theories and insights are often superior is because they do not force things. They patiently allow their Ni intuition to collect and synthesize all the pertinent information before they draw conclusions. Again, others may be blinded to this reality if they focus exclusively on INTJs’ external presentation.

INTJ Type Development & Functional Stack

Each personality type prefers to use four of the eight functions first described by Jung. These four functions comprise a type’s “functional stack.” The relative strength of preference for these four functions is expressed in the following manner: dominant, auxiliary, tertiary, and inferior. INTJs’ first preference is Ni, followed by Te, Fi and Se respectively. This is depicted in the arrangement of their functional stack:

INTJs’ Functional Stack

Dominant: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

Auxiliary: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

Tertiary: Introverted Feeling (Fi)

Inferior: Extraverted Sensing (Se)

While we will soon discuss each of these functions in greater depth, for now, we will turn our attention to another feature of INTJs’ personality—their type development. As is true for all the personality types, INTJs’ type development consists of three general phases. These phases roughly correspond to the ordering of the functional stack, with Ni being the first function to blossom, Te the second, on so on. But as we will see, the inferior function is sort of a special case, summoning INTJs’ attention at an earlier phase than might otherwise be expected.

Phase I (Childhood)

Early in life, Introverted Intuition (Ni) emerges as INTJs’ dominant function. The degree to which the dominant function needs to be worked on or developed is not entirely clear. If one can argue, for instance, that great athletes are born not made, might the same not be true for a type’s dominant function?

Regardless, INTJs’ amass a great deal of information for their Ni to chew on throughout their childhood. The longer they live and the more they see, the more their worldview crystallizes and the more confident they feel in their understanding of things. Even young INTJs are keen to understand what is happening around them. This is what Ni does. It looks beyond appearances to discern the root causes and structures of things.

But as we’ve seen, INTJs aren’t always all that serious-minded. Many spend their childhood playing video games, watching movies, learning an instrument, or surfing the web. They acquire much of their knowledge through happenstance, without much in the way of conscious effort.

Phase II (Adolescence-30s)

In Phase II, their inferior function, Extraverted Sensing (Se), begins to assert itself and to play a more prominent role in INTJs’ psychic drama. The inferior’s undue influence can be seen as stemming from its bipolar relationship with the dominant function. Namely, in order to ensure psychological diversity or balance in their personality traits, INTJs feel compelled to experience something characteristically distinct from the dominant function. The inferior function is often experienced as magical, mysterious, and exciting, even blissful. Some have described it as “a whole new world.” It can thereby serve as a powerful source of energy and motivation. This is why all types, especially those in Phase II, display a strong appetite for, and curiosity toward, their inferior function.

As will be enumerated in our forthcoming section on Se, the emergence of Se may take the form of INTJs’ showing greater interest in novel aesthetic or sensory (S) experiences. While INTJ children are often leery of new experiences, as time goes on, they may gradually open themselves to S novelties. Although INTJs tend not to be as “experimental” in their approach to life as NPs, many come to welcome new S experiences as an invigorating alternative to their typical state of NT cerebralism.

Because of its deep allure and sense of novelty, the inferior can lead INTJs, to make questionable career or relationship decisions in Phase II (see my INTJ relationships post). It may, for instance, cause them to pair with incompatible types under the spell of the “opposites attract” (i.e., inferior function attraction) phenomenon. Therefore, Phase II INTJs can typically benefit from a reality check, remembering that their “core self” is ultimately founded on their Ni, not Se.

The siren call of the inferior function can be effectively counterbalanced by regular use and development of the auxiliary function. For the INTJ, this means bringing a greater measure of Te to the proverbial table. Te helps INTJs rationally explicate their intuitions, whether in math, science, consulting, or related fields. Regular employment of Te also encourages INTJs to move out of Perceiving mode and into Judging, promoting a more diverse and balanced personality.

Phase III (30s, 40s, & Beyond)

Phase III INTJs wise up to the tricks and temptations of the inferior function, discovering more sustainable ways of integrating their functions. Rather than leapfrogging between the dominant and inferior functions (e.g., the bipolar behavior characteristic of Phase II), they learn to stay grounded in their Ni as they explore, develop, and integrate their less conscious functions.

INTJs in Phase III also become skilled in achieving what psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi has dubbed the “flow state.” Flow states are characterized by deep absorption in an activity, an optimal balance of challenge and stimulation, and a sense of progress toward a meaningful goal. In a state of flow, INTJs forget about themselves and their concerns, “becoming one with” the activity. Flow states are most likely to emerge when INTJs perform activities that engage their dominant and auxiliary functions. For more on this, see my eBook, The 16 Personality Types.

INTJs’ Dominant Function: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

As we saw earlier, in order to best understand INTJs, we must recognize the full implications of their dominant function, Ni, being a Perceiving function. While INTJs can certainly function as rational thinkers via their auxiliary Te, their first preference is to process matters in less rational ways a la Ni.

In its popular connotation, intuition is understood as an unconscious way of knowing, or what writer Malcolm Gladwell has cleverly described as “thinking without thinking.” It is therefore interesting to consider that, for dominant Intuitives such as INTJs, intuition is understood to be their most conscious function. While it is true that intuition is more conscious for INTJs than it is for other types, we must remember that Ni is a Perceiving function. So although INTJs may have readier access to its workings and products, there is still a sense in which they don’t really control it. Intuitive insight often seems to emerge ex nihilo, as a welcomed but unexpected gift from the muses.

With that said, INTJs do possess some measure of control over the types of problems they want their Ni to solve, not to mention the raw material they feed into it. The more they immerse themselves in a certain problem or subject matter, the more their insight will deepen. So it’s not that INTJs can be totally hands-off and allow Ni to do all the heavy lifting for them. Healthy INTJs find the right balance between allowing their Ni to do its thing and consciously participating with the process.

Because of its prescience and depth of insight, Ni may at times seem to border on magical or supernatural. While not discounting it impressiveness, the Ni process can, at least to some extent, be rationally explicated. Namely, INTJs’ inferior function, Extraverted Sensing (Se), unconsciously collects vast quantities of sensory information from the outside world. This data is then kindly forwarded to Ni, which tries to make sense of it, like assembling the pieces of a puzzle. Eventually, an impression is formed that reveals the deeper reality or N pattern behind the data.

It is often said that human beings rely more heavily on vision than their other senses. This seems particularly true of INJ types, who often associate a strong visual element with their Ni. Many report thinking by way of images more than words. Their intuitions may take the form of symbols, images, dreams, or patterns. This is consistent with Jung’s characterization of the Ni type as the dreamer or seer. There is a distinct visual character to these notions, which is why vision-related terms—foresight, insight, seer, visionary, etc.—are commonly ascribed to INJs.

Visual processing may prove advantageous for solving problems that seem resistant to rational solutions. This is because visual processing isn’t bound by the same rules or limitations as verbal or logical processing. Indeed, Ni’s unique approach to problem-solving may explain why INTJs often make such formidable analysts and theorists.

INTJs’ Auxiliary Function: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

While Ni is a holistic and synthesizing function, INTJs’ auxiliary function, Te, hails squarely from the left side of the brain. The left hemisphere is characteristically logical, abstract, analytical, and systematic. It breaks things down into their constituent parts, names those parts, explicates their functions, and determines their relationships to other parts.

A Te-based approach also emphasizes quantification, as well as the establishment of measurable goals and standards. Never vague or ambiguous, it employs clear definitions, policies, plans, and procedures. It carefully spells out how to get from here to there, using as many maps, directions, and labels as necessary. The ultimate goal of Te is to render things logically intelligible, making them more amenable to human manipulation, prediction, and control.

Ni is neither characteristically rational nor highly systematic. Only the Judging functions, most notably Te, operate in such a fashion. And because Ni comes first in INTJs’ functional stack, Te is ultimately more of a servant than a master. It is primarily used to analyze or flesh out Ni’s intuitions. Once an intuition has formed, Te takes the reins and works to give it rational form, sort of like decompressing a computer file. Te’s ability to translate intuitions into words, diagrams, or formulae is important because it helps others better comprehend INTJs’ insights.

In explicating their intuitions, Te is highly systematic and methodical, even perfectionistic. INTJs pay close attention to the way things are ordered, ensuring that their work follows the appropriate linear or logical sequencing. They may also work to incorporate relevant Te facts, data, and other objective considerations.

With that said, INTJs always keep at least one eye on the bigger picture, ensuring that they are staying true to their foundational intuition. This is one way INTJs differ from SJ types, who often miss the bigger picture or end up getting lost in the particulars. Not only are INTJs blessed with the ability to isolate and analyze specifics, but they simultaneously maintain a clear vision of the whole system, including its hierarchical structure and the interrelationships of its component parts.

The fact that INTJs lead with Ni rather than Te also casts doubt on perceptions of INTJs being excessively stubborn or closed-minded. Such perceptions are typically rooted in observations of INTJs’ extraversion of Thinking. But because Te closure is not their typical or preferred state of being, we should be careful not to confuse their outer presentation (Te) with their inner reality (Ni). INTJs are far more open inwardly than they may seem outwardly.

Another feature of Te, which we touched on earlier, is its social presentation. Unlike Fe, Te is not concerned with procuring social harmony or group morale. It is characteristically impersonal—focused on facts, objects, and systems rather than feelings. The inability of others to approach things impersonally or objectively is a common point of frustration for INTJs. They may feel incredulous toward others’ repeated failure to see, and/or appropriately respond to, objective truth. INTJs often feel that, regardless of how sound their arguments or the amount of evidence they present, some people simply won’t budge. Even more frustrating is when they see those same people responding to F influences. When this happens repeatedly, INTJs may become dismayed or nihilistic, concerned that humanity will forever remain blind to the truth.

One can see this playing out in the political careers of INTJs Hillary Clinton and Al Gore. Both are among the most intelligent of politicians, possessing a solid understanding of national and global dynamics. But both are/were plagued by a lack of charisma and likeability (i.e., a lack of Fe), making it difficult for them to inspire or connect with others on an emotional level.

INTJs’ Tertiary Function: Introverted Feeling (Fi)

Despite their preference for Te over Fi, it would be a mistake to assume that INTJs are emotionless robots. The real difficulty for INTJs is that, regardless of how strong their emotions or convictions may be, this often gets lost in translation. We know that INTJs’ feelings don’t readily translate because their preferred Feeling function (Fi) is introverted in its direction. Instead of extraverting Feeling, they extravert Thinking (Te). This precludes others from readily accessing their emotional state. Instead of seeing variations of expression or intonation (Fe), one encounters a relatively flat, monochromatic presentation (Te).

With respect to other people, Fi is associated with intensive emotional investments in a limited number of individuals. Instead of distributing its emotional energies broadly in the way of Fe, Fi is more focused and discriminating. This is why INTJs typically show little interest in social networking. Instead, they typically invest themselves emotionally in their families, along with one or two close friends. They tend to be loyal and committed partners, as well as unswervingly devoted to the well-being of their children. While they may be skeptical toward a great many things, the value of family and friendship is typically not one of them.

Career-wise, Fi may inspire INTJs to work toward social change and reform, be it in business, politics, economics, education, or otherwise. Fi is highly sensitive to injustices, especially those affecting individuals perceived to be incapable of helping or defending themselves (e.g., children, the elderly, the poor, etc.). Hence, INTJs’ Fi often teams up with Ni to foresee paths to a more just and equitable world. Te may also play a role in the process, such as developing strategic or logistical plans for reforming broken systems. This combination of Ni, Te, and Fi explains why INTJs often score high on the Enneagram’s type One, often called “The Reformer.”

With that said, I’ve observed a fair amount of variability among INTJs with respect to the prominence of Fi in their personality. I know one INTJ, for instance, who had a rather difficult upbringing and has spent most of his adult life trying to understand and remediate his childhood wounds. This led him to develop interests in both normal and abnormal psychology. I’ve also known INTJs who show little more than a passing interest in psychology. It may be that differences in childhood experiences affect the degree to which INTJs focus on Fi matters, including their own emotional landscape. The interaction of nature and nurture may also affect the degree of INTJs’ emotional stability. Some INTJs are emotionally labile and constantly turning to others for support. Other INTJs are characteristically more steady and independent in handling their emotions.

The last thing I’ll mention about INTJs’ Fi is its contribution to their interest in self-knowledge, including their desire to understand what makes them unique and different. For quite some time, I was perplexed as to why so many INTJs took interest in personality typology. I hypothesized that in most cases it was probably career-related, such as trying to match their personality to a particular career field. I later realized that their reasons often ran deeper than that. Namely, similar to what we see in FP types, INTJs’ Fi compels them to understand who they are as unique individuals.

INTJs’ Inferior Function: Extraverted Sensing (Se)

The importance of the inferior function has long been grossly underestimated in the type community. Sometimes called the lost, missing, or repressed function, it is the most unconscious of the four functions. It is also the most difficult to access, understand, and integrate. Despite its relative elusiveness, we should be careful not to dismiss it as irrelevant or unimportant, as has too often been done. The truth is that a proper understanding of the inferior function is indispensable in the human quest for wholeness and integration.

As is the case with other types, INTJs display a “love-hate” relationship with their inferior function, Extraverted Sensing (Se). This is especially true for those in Phase II of type development. Fortunately, the challenges associated with the inferior can be largely offset by understanding its essential nature, as well as potential ways of integrating it.

Generally speaking, having Se as their inferior function makes INTJs less attuned to the details or concrete elements of life. While Se takes in plenty of sensory data from the outside world, what INTJs typically experience is an Ni synthesis of that information. So instead of registering particular environmental details (Se), they see the world through the lens of Ni impressions. They can therefore seem rather oblivious to the details of their surroundings.

This is not to say, however, that INTJs are unaffected by, or insensitive to, their physical environment. Although they may be consciously oblivious to their surroundings, they are still absorbing and subconsciously registering a breadth of environmental stimuli. Similar to INFJs, their nervous systems are often highly permeable and sensitive to the environment. This is why they commonly know things without realizing how they came to know them. They passively absorb information apart from conscious effort. This permeability can also make them susceptible to overstimulation in noisy or chaotic circumstances.

Because of their conscious disconnect from the world around them, many INTJs report feeling like aliens or strangers in the world, even estranged from their own bodies. This can make them leery of unfamiliar S experiences, such as trying new foods, drugs, or physical activities. Doing so can seem too risky or unpredictable, since the S world seems largely outside of INTJs’ sphere of control.

In time, however, INTJs may gradually become more open to and interested in S novelties. Those intrigued by their inferior Se may display a surprising thirst for sensory novelty, material comforts, or physical thrills. They may drive expensive cars, purchase luxurious homes, or opt for high-end accommodations when travelling. Some even become connoisseurs of fine food, wine, or art.

This points to the love-hate relationship INTJs often have with their inferior function. Depending on time and circumstances, Se matters may be viewed as a source of great pleasure and intrigue, or one of fear, stress, and frustration.

Perfectionism

Both INTJs and INFJs are notorious for their predilection for perfectionism. Fortunately, this propensity is well-explained by type theory. Namely, INJs can be understood as striving to integrate their dominant Ni with their inferior Se, to see their N ideals perfectly materialized in S reality.

Parenthetically, while it is true that ENPs also have a dominant N (i.e., Ne) and inferior S (i.e., Si) function, Ne tends not to get attached to a single vision in the way that Ni does. Where Ne is open to multiple interpretations or possibilities, Ni sees only one. So although some ENPs can be perfectionists (Steve Jobs is a good example), perfectionism is a more consistent and signature tendency of INJs.

One of INTJ my friends, for instance, spent well over a month working to resolve a problem with the rendering of bullet points in his business’s email newsletters. Despite the fact that the problem would only be noticeable to about 10% of his email clientele, not to mention that it was considered intractable by many email experts, he continued to relentlessly pursue a solution. Ultimately, after many weeks of work and frustration, he managed to find his own workaround.

As suggested by this example, perfectionism, thoroughness, and perseverance (or what some might call obsessiveness or compulsiveness) are closely linked for INTJs. Many feel they cannot rest or move forward until certain foundational matters have been squared away. While other types might content themselves with “good enough,” INTJs are insistent that their work meets their own (often very high) standards of excellence…

Comments

Davesays

Best write up on INTJ that I have seen yet. A lot to process. Thanks!

ggasays

Agree ,100%!

Nginasays

Absolutely true to the point!

Liensays

Think about this:

Even though perfectionism isn’t be attainable in most cases, it sounds like your drive to be flawless and is causing you to doubt yourself. If this continues then you might settle with the fact that you won’t be perfect, and that could lead to setting lower expectations and laziness in decisions, projects, innovation, etc. However, that realization could go a completely different way for you. Since you already know that 100% perfection is unobtainable, perhaps the lowering of your expectations will help you to feel more complete in your new standard of excellence. I find that within the ability to be excellent requires the recovery of mistakes for the betterment of knowledge and understanding. The perfect human simply does not exist, but we all possess the ability to be the best version of ourselves. I hope that can provide some insight to your situation. What do you think?

Gothelittle Rosesays

The perfectionism in an INTJ tends to be less holistic and more situational. It doesn’t help to tell us that we don’t have to be perfect and we won’t ever be perfect, because we aren’t looking for perfection. We aren’t even looking for the perfect solution. We’re just looking for something that works better than this, and we think that our expectations are reasonable.

The INTJ in the example, for instance, isn’t trying to make his weight ideal, his hairstyle awesome, and his career shining. He’s just DARN SURE it is not unreasonable to expect a simple bullet point list to format correctly. This should not be rocket science. It’s a black dot for heaven’s sake. I should be able to make a computer show a black dot. C’mon, elementary school students learn how to make bulleted lists.

yellodevilsays

No, no, no… You see, an INTJ won’t do anything that he can’t do well. Now, obviously, we don’t just walk on as masters at everything, we go through trial and error just like everybody else. The difference is that we already know whether we can master a thing or not so although we accept (and embrace!) this learning curve as a necessary part of any process, if at all possible, that entire phase goes on primarily in private. And as we hate more than anything to have our time/energy/headspace wasted, we’ll spend hours, days, years and decades perfecting whatever process, etc we’re working on before taking it public because we want the end result to serve the purpose for which it was intended. Every time. Period. For as long as it is in use.

But! Don’t get it twisted – this ‘perfectionism’ is not about external approval or any kind of self doubt, it’s based more on a constant internal desire to ‘streamline’ every process in which we invest our valuable effort and more importantly, to avoid at all cost the unbearable, wasteful redundancy of recovering from our own mistakes, or the continual mistakes of others as a result of our own mistakes. Do you see?

Amirsays

Good writing. I read a lot about the rare wonders of INTJ but I seek more information on the weakness and how to balance it out. This gives a rational explaination on why sometimes INTJs got their perceptions wrong. Coping with stress is a bane. Thanks.

Christopher G.says

Lily,
I believe that we all desire unfailing love and security.
Best of luck to you in your pursuit.
-Chris

Darceysays

I should say, ‘Many of the descriptions I read of INTJ…’ as this one does quite clearly highlight the INTJ’s dominance of intuition rather than the ENTJ’s dominant Te.

Darceysays

That should say, ‘Many of the descriptions I read of INTJ…’ as this peronalityjunkie description quite explicitly explains the difference between INTJ’s dominant Ni as opposed to ENTJ’s dominant Te. There is a lot of false, stereotypes out there on INTJ, I think. Or maybe it is more true for the guys.

Lizsays

In responses to Lily:

I am a straight INTJ woman, too. I’ve been in a long term relationship (11 years) with an INTP man. I wanted to call out several of the qualities you are looking for in your relationship that we have in ours: independence, love & respect, and above all, commitment to each other.

We have bonded through making a shared vision for our lives into a reality. We have been through life transitions together and made big choices about next steps that will affect both of us. As “analyst” types, INTP and INTJ coming to conclusions together about what we collectively want out of life when faced with a big decision (cross-country move, job changes, or even planning a big vacation/trip) has brought us closer together. This becomes the basis of a deep and meaningful connection that persists through the ups and downs of our relationship.

We have always valued each others’ independence: we don’t have to do everything together, and seeing the other thriving in their element brings out a sense of pride and passion. He introduces me to new worlds that he is deeply involved in, which, in turn, enriches my life.

A quality you didn’t mention that really makes my relationship with an INTP work is intellectual parity. INTP and INTJ types both want to feel impressed by their partner’s smartness. We are quick to dismiss new people to whom we can only relate on a “surface” level of gossip or small talk, or who can not keep up with our thinking and analysis. We’re excellent conversational partners, but by no means feel forced to talk all the time. Common interests in evaluating what’s working in the world and our day to day lives & why people do what they do form our conversation base at the end of a long work day. Challenging puzzles, word games, and silly puns are fun to us both.

Consider that even though an N/P is not your ideal and it may be hard to find the warmth and space to break in to his heart, you can still have an incredibly fulfilling long term relationship if you have shared vision, respect one another, and find the ways that you have fun together!

Traceysays

Thanks Liz- this is my situation as well as a INTJ female with what I am suspecting is my INTP male partner. I appreciate your views here. I am also thinking that in our current society that INTJ females may not be so rare anymore…

Petrasays

Sounds more like a guys thing, than INTJ-specific. You want/need something from him and he is not planning on giving it to you. He probably has no need for talking about emotional matters. Probably sucks at it compared to you and will loose the discussion. So he is playing dumb. It is the only sensible thing to do. A powerful control tactic, because you get to stew in your own juice and he is looking all innocent and alexithymic. End of discussion. Hence, it works! But only in the very short run obviously….

But I don’t get your choice of words. Your DUTY to figure out what the POOR INTJ will relate to? Did you adopt him or something?

BONFACE PYATICHsays

Thank you guys for giving me a clear understanding of myself.

Type of Girlsays

INTJ woman here. This description is very helpful, especially the analysis of how Ni dominance works. I am always trying to improve my performance at work by better tapping into what comes naturally to me, instead of following generic wisdom like “work harder,” “set goals,” “be more social,” etc. The truth is that I need tons of time to do my Ni thing, which probably seems like zoning out and not being productive to my colleagues. I am highly valued at my job, and some coworkers seem to think that the way I work is almost magical. However, I can sense the same people around me thinking that if I only “worked harder” I would be even better. They are missing the point—the (not obvious) way I do my thing is part and parcel to the results I obtain. My ENTJ boss might agree with the “passive and even somewhat phlegmatic” description for me at times. One thing I can control though, as stated in this type description, is how much I expose myself to what I am trying to solve. Taking those conscious steps into the ocean of Ni is important, while so is knowing that once I am waist-deep I will have the trust the currents to carry me.

Marcus Elversays

As an INTJ male I think I can answer your questions. I’m tempted to say it sounds like you’d be better off without each other but if you insist it’s your “duty” then who am I to disagree! Firstly an INTJ lives in a world of constant thoughts, perceiving, processing, deciding, planning … we think without even realising we’re doing it. We are called masterminds not masterhearts. We do have feelings but they run below the surface and they just don’t show. Its not that we suppress them … it’s just they don’t show. To process or analyse our feelings is a bit like pulling over a car to look at the map and may take non-INTJ’s more patience than they have to bear with, as the only way we can speak about our feelings is to turn them into thoughts that make sense (which can be difficult as sometimes feelings don’t make sense!) and only then (being introverts) can we speak them . I’ve been happily married to an ENFP for 16 years and find our iNtuition is were we meet in the middle and make sense of each other, so it can work … so perhaps he just doesn’t like you and doesn’t want to talk to you. After all, if someone called me a “poor INTJ” I would find it hard (considering we view ourselves as misunderstood, unrealised visionary mastermind geniuses) to not write you off as a fool and consider you unworthy of my time or attention ;)

Eddiesays

My friend is an INTJ female and Enneagram 4w5. Makes perfect sense.

Lilysays

Francesca,

So glad to read your comments, because I have had very similar experiences.

I suspect I’m also a bit older than some of the other INTJ females on here (mid 40s). Perhaps that colors my perspective .

In any event, I’m enjoying reading this lively discussion and learning about the experinces of other INTJ women.

Lily

Lilysays

Hi Zack,

Thank you for your comments. You have thought a lot about this topic and desire to learn more about the views of others. I applaud your candor.

You mentioned that you’re in college. It sounds like you are moving in a direction that may give you the opportunity to grow and to flourish. Your life’s journey may take you on routes and paths you may, otherwise, never have conceived possible. I encourage you to keep thinking and questioning because, from my experience and perspective, if you can create and live a life that has meaning and purpose — be it through friends, family, work, volunteering, hobbies, or any other soul-affirming aspect of your life — yours will be a good life, indeed.

My fondest wish for you is that you will find your own personal truth and let that guide you and sustain you throughout your days.

Have a wonderful day! :-)

Lily

Gregsays

Frighteningly accurate… Very helpful in making sense of the mid-life crisis I am going through. Thank you.

A.J.says

Hey Joe,

Thanks for pointing that out! We’ll be sure to add Newton the list. -A.J.

jensays

I’m an INFP and I was wondering why much of this sounded like me, until I came to the bottom and saw that INTJs may find overlap with 5w4 types, which I am :) My best friend is INTJ and we can share much with each other unlike many of my other friends.

Thanks for the update on the INTJ profile

Ohndotsays

As an INTJ woman the best compliment I ever recieved was ‘You look like an angel but don’t talk like one.’ Disparity between looks and personality can be exciting, so use this gift ladies.

Paulsays

Loving the updated profile. I’m glad you explore the reality of INTJ being a dominant perceiver, and therefore prone to (paraphrasing) periods of navel-gazing. The idea that INTJs are ‘balls-to-the-wall’ individuals is oft incorrect, in my experience. The 5w4s tend to be a bit more relaxed, it would seem. But probably also a great deal more isolated.

Lilysays

One possible fictional INTJ person to include is Temperance Brennan (Bones). I’ve seen Sherlock, and the other usual list of fictional INTJs, on just about every typing site, but I’ve never seen her character listed anywhere as an example of an INTJ.

Elisasays

One of the most unique articles I have ever seen on INTJs. Thank you.

Ernestsays

One of the best explanations of INTJ that I’ve come across (I’m also a 5w4). Thank you! With this article it finally “clicked” for me that as I move through mid-life that the new goal is to finely balance the intuition with all the other gifts/features I/we as INTJ have (as described above). That is to say, allow intuition to help guide direction and insight rather than force insight with all the left-brain activity. Practicing mindfulness, or even better yet walks outside in nature seem to help clear the brain. When I’m more “in the moment” these life-long puzzles seem to, rather quickly, fall into place.

Annasays

I’m a female and I’ve have always typed an INTJ. I married an INTJ man. Best decision we ever made. We don’t really have conflict because we share the same world views and thoughts and reasoning about the decisions we make. INTJ and INTJ is a beautiful union.

Yumnasays

Nice insight on the fact about the ‘thrill seeking part’. It makes me understand why I am who I am.

amakasays

I am an INTJ woman your comment Alouette of “Hello are you there? ” would elicit nothing but a stony unemotional silence. In my mind you would be beyond the pale . I would then remove myself from you into my own galaxy far away and you would be there still talking various inanities to my body.

Karensays

ha, ha,ha, ha. How many times have I done that! That’s hysterical! And my galaxy far away is much more interesting than the small talk.

Chrissays

I’m an INTJ guy and this is a constant theme in my life that my silence is always hurting people’s feelings. I can’t stress enough that my quietness doesn’t mean I don’t care. I’m just quiet sometimes. And I really get overwhelmed when someone’s pressuring me to talk. It’s like the more they pressure me to talk the quieter I get. I want to say something but I just shut down.

Also, when you say he’s not relating to you emotionally, you have to understand that he doesn’t even relate to himself that way, so there’s no way he’s equipped to do it for you. After all, you referred to his style of conversation as “becoming an emotionless robot”, so I don’t think you’re exactly relating to him either. You two are very different and there’s nothing wrong with that, but you’re both going to have to understand that you’re not going to click on all the same conversation topics.

Finally, I want to politely challenge your idea that it’s your duty to find something he’ll relate to. Remember that he’s probably not measuring his happiness in the friendship by the amount of talking done. This happens to me all the time too. The quieter I get, the more people feel that it’s their burden to keep the conversation going. The truth is, I have absolutely no problem with silence — even when I’m with other people. And I myself definitely have to try to understand that some people want to talk more and try to be considerate of that, but it’s honestly really challenging. Long story short: you can’t expect him to be the same as you and you can’t expect yourself to be the same as him, but you can still care about each other.

Quite right about the big picture thing, personal tuning to do the right thing, do it to your best for if you don’t you are selling yourself and others short. As I get older the colours seem more beautiful, the rain more life giving and my soul is becoming a huge plain to walk through. By heavens age seems quite a nice path to walk. Lol ?

simmonesays

I have felt confused and isolated for decades, thinking that perhaps I am depressed or eccentric .The analysis appears spot on and is truly liberating. Thank you so much.I still have to reconcile the fact that whether I am more intj or infj and how to move on. Incidently I read your analysis of other personality types around me and found them uncannily true.It has helped me understand them and myself better and therefore take a more compassionate (in contrast to self centered ) view of our behaviours and reactions.I am almost inspired to study pschycholgy myself !Anyways thank you again.

Oliviasays

This is a great summary of the INTJ that avoids so many of the cliches and pitfalls of other write-ups that seem only to stroke the egos of INTJs and emphasize their “mastermind” status and “specialness”. This page offers a more balanced picture with room for variations in personality. I would imagine that very few real INTJs fit into the stereotypes that seem so prevalent online.

Kensays

INTJ often try to screen out and remove all bias in their pursuit of the objective realization of the truth. Most types of people do not do that and would not want to do that as it would make no sense to them, they would rather believe whatever it behooves them to believe in order to pursue and satisfy their own self interest, using whichever logical fallacies, rationalizations, and outright falsehoods and manipulations in route to their personal objectives and emotional satisfaction. That is why they appear to be nuts to INTJs, and why INTJs appear to have a superior attitude to those types. One type is governed by the hind brain, the other by the neo cortex.

Karensays

Oh Ken says. That’s hysterical! So true! I feel that way so often. Nice o tknow I am not the only one. I just wish there was a way to make money with what do, but it is so esoteric, folk don’t understand, let alone have a job utilizing it. Too bad because I love to make complex thngs simpler.

Karensays

Yup, yup, yup, Amanda, Well said I love this typology stuff. Yet keep my self grounded that it only a small part of what makes me , “me”. there is so much more to a human being than just a topology anagram. But it is a great place to start to find out about one’s self.
Happy New Year,
Karen

Karensays

whew! That’s a mouthful! I didn’t get all of it but really liked the 1st 3 sentences.

Jerry Simpsonsays

By far the best description of my type (INTJ). Much thought and research put into this explanation.

Richardsays

thank you for sharing. i had the same sense of self-affirmation in my late 20s after i was asked to take the MBTI test (along with a few other tests) by my employer. going into the tests, i felt as though i was being ambushed, and that the testing would only serve to confirm outside suspicions of my “inadequacy” or something. In contrast, the test profiles validated almost all of my “concerning” issues and categorically invalidated my employers’ concerns. work has been way better ever since and i still reference the test material and related literature